Piandao frowned and turned away. "I'm sorry, too." Piandao quickly turned back around and swung his sword at Sokka.
Sokka stood and avoided the attack, using his own sheathed sword to block a thrust from Piandao. Aang, Katara, and Toph got up to help Sokka, but he raised his hand to stop them. "No, this is my fight, alone."
They made their way outside and Sokka and Piandao squared off in the sword fighting ring while Aang, Katara, Toph, Tu Cho, and Fat watched from the upper part of the main building.
They stood for a moment before Piandao lunged forward and began his attack, striking four times. Sokka deflected the blows and stabbed at Piandao.
Piandao moved his head out of the way and stabbed at Sokka, who swayed back to avoid the attack; Piandao swept his sword at Sokka's legs, but Sokka jumped over it and lunged at Piandao, thrusting his sword forward. Piandao deflected Sokka's blade and hit him with the butt of Sokka's sword's hilt.
Sokka was knocked back several feet and slid across the floor. Sokka flipped himself backward and grabbed a post of a small bridge to regain his balance. He quickly climbed onto the post and leaped to the other one just as Piandao thrust his sword at him.
Piandao spun around and tried to slice Sokka's foot, but Sokka jumped away to the other rail of the bridge. Piandao stabbed at Sokka again, but Sokka jumped off the rail and rolled to the side. Piandao struck again, but Sokka rolled under the blade. Sokka blocked Piandao's next strikes as he gained distance and hopped back on the railing. Sokka lept away to the end of the bridge as Piandao swung his sword at him.
"Excellent! Using your superior agility against an older opponent... very smart." Piandao charged at Sokka again, striking at Sokka and pushing him up a large stone stairway.
Sokka blocked all of the attacks, but the force pushed him against the wall of the stairway. He deflected a thrust from Piandao upward, then ducked as the blade sliced through the part of the wall just above his shoulder. Piandao swung his sword around his head and body in two large circles. Sokka barely dodged Piandao's blade, cart wheeling to the right. Sokka spun back around, hopped a foot off the ground and pushed off the wall with his legs, propelling himself forward, sword extended. It was amazing and even Tu Cho, who had one hundred percent confidence in Sokka, was impressed. Piandao deflected the attack and Sokka rolled across the stair to the other wall, climbing to the top.
"Good use of terrain, "Piandao said, "fighting from the high ground."
Sokka swung at Piandao below him, who parried and swung up at Sokka. Piandao thrust his sword at Sokka, who pinned the blade under his own blade, weighted down under his feet.
Piandao tried to wrench his sword free, but couldn't. He leaned forward and pushed his sword upward, throwing Sokka off. Sokka grunted as he stumbled back into a tall stalk of bamboo.
Tu Cho, Aang, and Katara all winced at the sight.
Sokka looked up fearfully, strands of hair falling over his face. Piandao raised his sword and charged at Sokka. Sokka ducked as Piandao sliced the bamboo just above his head. He ran off into the bamboo thicket, slicing through as many of the surrounding stalks of bamboo that he could. As Piandao gave chase, the stalks all began to fall. Piandao skillfully cut through the bamboo. Sokka desperately ran through the bamboo searching his mind for a plan. He turned, grabbing a stalk and pulling it. He let it go just as Piandao was catching up, causing the bamboo to whip back at Piandao. Piandao cuts through the stalk and began to strike at Sokka, who deflected and ran off again, grabbing two bamboo stalks.
Piandao smiled, calling out, "Yes, use your surroundings! Make them fight for you!"
Sokka let go of the stalks. They whipped around at Piandao, who sliced through them like cutting butter. Sokka ran out of the bamboo and back towards the sword fighting ring, screaming in terror, Piandao not far behind.
Fear was painted on Sokka's face as he glanced behind him. Piandao wasn't in his line of sight anymore.
By the time Sokka looked ahead, Piandao was already in front of him and pointing his sword out in front of Sokka, so he would run into it. However, Sokka leaned back.
The scene seemed to be in slow motion as Tu Cho watched as Sokka slid under the blade in the most tense moment of the fight.
Sokka stood back up and stumbled forward, stabbing his sword into the ground to stop his fall. Using his momentum, Sokka swung his sword back around, flinging dirt and dust at Piandao.
The dirt hit him in the face, blinding him. Piandao spun around and positioned his sword behind his back to defend any sneak attacks. "Very resourceful." Piandao turned his head and listened for any of the smallest sounds.
Sokka nervously raised his sword defensively. He then slowly tried to sneak away, careful not to make any noises that would give away his location. Too bad for Sokka, there was a most unfortunately placed twig. He stepped on the lone twig, snapping it.
Piandao turned his head towards Sokka when he heard it. He twirled his sword around into an offensive position and charged forward. Sokka took a step back as Piandao closed in and stabbed at him. Sokka parried the attack, but Piandao caught Sokka's blade with his own. He pushes Sokka's sword around in two quick circles and flung Sokka's sword out of his hands. Sokka watched as the sword stabbed into the ground several feet away.
Piandao swung his sword in a large, horizontal arc at Sokka. Sokka was not cut by the bade, but was instead hit in the chest by Piandao's arms, knocking him on his back. Sokka looked up fearfully as Piandao turned and pointed his sword at Sokka's head.
Aang, Katara, and Toph all jumped from the building to the ground and run towards Sokka and Piandao but Tu Cho already knew Piandao wouldn't be hurting him.
Piandao swung his sword away from Sokka, halting Aang, Katara, and Toph. "Excellent work, Sokka." Piandao raised his hand and signalled to Fat. Fat flung the scabbard of Piandao's sword towards him. Still blinded by the dirt, Piandao turned and pointed his sword upward, letting the scabbard fly right onto the blade. "I think I'm a little old to be fighting the Avatar."
They bender dropped their stances and looked at each other in surprise.
"How did you know?" Aang asked.
Sokka stood back up as Tu Cho joined the group on the ground. Fat walked up carrying a drink and a white cloth.
"Oh, I've been around a while. You pick things up." Piandao wiped the dirt off his face with the cloth. "Of course, I knew from the beginning that Sokka was Water Tribe. You might want to think of a better Fire Nation cover name. Try Lee. There's a million Lees." He sipped his drink.
Katara asked, "But why would you agree to train someone from the Water Tribe?"
"The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all." Piandao gave his sword to Fat. He pulled Sokka's sword out of the ground and gave it back to Sokka. "Sokka, you must continue your training on your own. If you stay on this path, I know that one day you will become an even greater master than I am."
Aang, Katara, Tu Cho, and Sokka all smiled warmly as Sokka and Piandao as they bowed to each other.
It wasn't long before the group was headed to the camp for the night. Just after leaving, Fat caught up with them. "Wait." Everyone turned to him. "The Master wanted you to have this, as something to remember him by." Fat gave a small, brown bag to Sokka. They all bowed as a farewell and Fat walked back to the castle.
Sokka opened the bag and pulled out a white lotus Pai Sho tile. "It's a Pai Sho tile."
"The white lotus," Aang said. "Hm.'
"What does it mean?" Katara asked.
"I have no idea." Sokka and Aang looked back at the closing doors but they were too far away to see the lotus design on the doors surrounding the Fire Nation symbol. "Ooh, that reminds me. Toph, I thought you might like this since you've probably never had a chance to bend space earth before." Sokka pulled a chunk of the meteorite used to make his sword from his pocket.
Toph took the black space rock. "Sweet. Check this out." She formed the rock into multiple shapes with ease.
They started down the trail again but only a few moments into walking Katara said, "You know, I don't think there's such a thing as "space earth." If it's from space, then it's not really earth."
"Must you ruin everything?" Sokka asked.
"I can't believe I missed you!" Katara yelled.
~~~
Sokka smiled, placing an arm around Tu Cho's shoulder as they watched the sun set from their slightly hidden place where the group couldn't hear them. "I almost forgot. I finally found the perfect nickname for you."
Tu Cho had dreaded this moment. What kind of nickname could he have come up with? She smiled anyway. "What is it, Sokka?"
Sokka kissed her cheek. "Tu Cho."
"Sokka... That's already my name. It's not a nickname."
"No it isn't," Sokka said. "Your name is Kija Rei. There is far more to be said about what you choose to be called than the name you were given. You are redeemed. You are Tu Cho."
"Sokka..." Tu Cho smiled widely and tears welled in her eyes. No one had put it so simply. "I love you." She looked up and placed her lips to his.